


Broke Your Heart, I'll Put it Back Together

by SEMercury



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Budding Love, Comfort, F/M, Heartbreak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 08:42:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21473224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SEMercury/pseuds/SEMercury
Summary: Several years after college, Launch receives an invitation to Tien's wedding and has to confront the fact that she missed her opportunity with him. While at the wedding, she is comforted by someone else who can relate to what she is feeling and is provided comfort, which then turns into something more.
Relationships: Launch/Yamcha (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Broke Your Heart, I'll Put it Back Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EdibleNonsense](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdibleNonsense/gifts).

> This is a birthday fic for my darling dear friend and soul sister, Elizabeth (EdibleNonsense)! I have never seen this show at all, but I love love love hearing her headcanons and ideas for different ships and characters she loves, and I've been able to piece together a general knowledge about them!
> 
> I hope you like it <3
> 
> Title ref to ["How You Get The Girl"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha8J3XlrIOA) by Taylor Swift

“What’ll it be?”

“Another.”

“Anything specific?”

“Whatever it is, make it strong as hell.”

Launch sat, cradling her head in her hands at the bar as she waited for her drink. _At least he splurged for an open bar,_ she thought to herself. A snort of laughter escaped her as she thought of the tight fisted, penny pinching man who used to insist on everyone getting water and only cheese pizza during late night food runs in college.

That seemed like an eternity ago.

So much had happened since then, but at the same time, Launch couldn’t think of where the years had gone. What _had_ she been doing since graduation? As the bartender handed her the drink, she couldn’t help but let out another bark of laughter. _Certainly not anything with her degree, that was for sure._ Temp agencies and odd jobs… That’s where the years had gone.

She wondered what Tien had been doing since graduation. There had been a handful of times the old group got back together, but it was mostly hurried descriptions of jobs, significant others, and the occasional picture over coffee. When the save the date came in the mail, Launch had been shocked. She knew the girl in the picture vaguely. She had seen the two of them begin talking senior year, but she never thought it was serious. She had been wrong. She got drunk that night too.

“Launch.”

The voice made her blearily lift up her head. Speak of the devil… “Congrats,” she said, hoping the word came out correctly.

“Thank you.” Tien was being as formal as ever when he approached her, new wife at his side. “It really means a lot to us that you’re here.”

“It really does,” his wife said cheerily, big, blue eyes wide as she nodded her head. “We’re so glad you could make it.”

“Of course.” Launch hoped her words didn’t betray her feelings. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Tien gave her the closest thing to a smile that he ever did, nodding his head. His wife reached out and squeezed Launch’s arm, which she assumed was some sort of attempt at a hug that respected personal space. She still felt imposed upon.

“We’ve got to go greet the others, but it was great seeing you again!” she said in her bubbly voice. “I hope we’ll get a chance to catch up!”

Launch nodded, forcing a smile as the two of them walked off, Tien’s arm wrapped around her slender shoulders.

She hoped the sound of her heart breaking wasn’t audible to the rest of them.

“Can I have another?” she asked the bartender after downing what was left in the cup.

Her fists burrowed into her temples as she tried to keep her eyes from burning like they were. Who even was that girl? And what did she know about Tien? Why did he choose her over…

No. Her thoughts couldn’t go there. He never rejected her. You can’t reject something you were never truly offered. But still, the thoughts plagued her as she grabbed at the drink that was placed in front of her. Did that woman know about the time Tien had been the only person in his class to pass a test and how proud he was of it? Where was she after he was discharged from the military? She wasn’t there to comfort him during that. She didn’t listen to the horrors he told her, and she sure as hell wasn’t there to research other ways of paying for his tuition.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Launch realized, though, that Tien had probably told her all of those things. He had probably told her more about his life than even Launch had been told. She had no right to be bitter.

And yet, here she was.

“Hey, mind if I sit here?”

Launch looked up again to see a familiar face carding a hand through his long hair. “’S a free country,” she said with a shrug.

Yamcha let out a laugh as he grabbed the seat next to her. He ordered a drink that Launch thought sounded fruity, but truthfully she wasn’t paying that much attention.

“How are you holding up?”

She tried to maintain eye contact with him, but it was a bit difficult considering how everything was so out of focus at this point. Shrugging and letting out an, “Eh,” she returned to her drink.

“That great, huh?” Yamcha offered a sympathetic look as he sipped on his own.

“Something like that,” Launch replied, resting her chin on her forearms. After a moment though, her brows furrowed, and she whipped her head around toward him. “Wait, why are you checking up on me?”

He swirled his drink, ice clinking against the glass as he thought. “You just seemed like you might need someone to talk to.”

“Why?” She knew she was being blunt. It could be the alcohol, but if she was being honest, that also was just the way she was.

A light pink dusted Yamcha’s cheeks before he continued. “Do you remember Bulma’s wedding? You were there, weren’t you?”

Launch nodded, head feeling entirely too heavy.

“I was in a similar place I think. And it’s a rough place to be in, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Her face flushed as she looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well, sorry, I guess you didn’t know this, but I always kinda had a thing for Bulma. We even went on a couple of dates, so seeing her marry someone else was —”

“No, I meant I don’t know what this has to do with me.”

Yamcha held her gaze, eyes seeing right through her thinly veiled facade. “I’ve seen how you look at him,” he chanced. “And I remember the way you talked to him during those pizza nights.”

Launch’s entire body felt entirely too warm. “I think I want to go back to my room. I’ve done my duty as a friend.”

“No, wait, c’mon, at least dance a little!”

He reached out and grabbed her hand before she could take another step. Launch stared down at their hands and then back up at his encouraging smile. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the fact that she really liked this song, but in that moment, she allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.

While never considering herself to be a frequenter of clubs and the like, there was always something that felt like home to her when she was in a crowd of people acting as wild as she felt. And while those crowds usually didn’t consist of dancing, there in that moment with Yamcha and surrounded by equally as excited people, it felt natural. The lights flashed in her eyes as a mixture of grief and adrenaline coursed through her veins alongside the alcohol. And as the edges of her vision began to darken, that face and those warm eyes remained at the center.

Launch woke up with her limbs tangled in sheets and a pounding in her head. She opened her eyes only to immediately shut them again, the glowing blinds and dim lamp being entirely too bright. After a few deep breaths, and quickly running through a mental checklist of potential injuries and confirming none of them had happened, she accepted that the only things wrong would be cured only by water and time. Peeking her eyes open once more, she looked around.

This was not her room.

Sitting up just a little too quickly for comfort, Launch tried to piece together where she was.

It was certainly the same hotel, which was a somewhat comforting fact. Suitcases were strewn about on the floor and on top of the dresser, but she didn’t see any identifying markers on any of them. Glancing to the couch, she noticed a familiar shirt draped across the back. She squinted at it, trying to recall the last thing she could remember. Yamcha had come over to the bar. He talked with her and convinced her to dance. And then…

“Good morning!”

Launch jumped at the cheery voice, feeling her face flush at the sight of Yamcha holding a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.

“I thought I saw you start to wake up, so I went and grabbed some stuff for you,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing her the pills.

She held the bottle in her hand and listlessly accepted the glass of water, staring down into it. “Did…” she started. “Did we…”

Yamcha tilted his head to the side. “Did we… come to my room because you couldn’t remember where your room was, and even though you suggested sleeping on the floor I was afraid you might get kicked out or stepped on, so I let you sleep in my bed while I took the couch? Oh, absolutely!”

Launch breathed a sigh of relief, popping open the pill bottle and taking a generous amount before sipping at the water.

“Here, let me go grab some breakfast for you.”

The though of food made her stomach lurch. “No, I think I’m good.”

He shook his head. “If you throw up, it’s a lot better if you have something _in_ your stomach.” Yamcha made his way toward the door and paused before leaving. “_Trust me._”

The door clicked shut and Launch buried her face into the soft, white pillows. On one hand, she was grateful that she hadn’t made the kind of mistake that would require her to find an entirely new friend group — an idea she wasn’t especially excited to try. But on the other hand, she had to be cared for like a child, and that in and of itself was embarrassing enough for her to wish the downy blankets would swallow her up.

It didn’t take Yamcha long before he returned with plates of food, most of which, he assured her, was for himself, but some scrambled eggs and a generous amount of toast was reserved for her. Launch poked at the eggs with her plastic fork, both the nausea and guilt forming a pit in her stomach.

“Thank you,” she finally whispered, keeping her eyes focused on the Styrofoam plates that littered the bed.

“No problem!” Yamcha flashed her a big grin. “I was hungry too, so grabbing food for both of us worked out.”

“No,” Launch replied, lips cracking into a smile for the first time in several days. “I mean for everything.”

“I know.” He moved some of his food around on the plate, keeping his eyes low as a blush crawled across his cheeks. “I just want you to know it’s not a big deal. I mean…” Yamcha paused, shifting in his seat. “I know what you’re going through. And I know it helps to have someone have your back.”

Launch felt her own face grow warm at his words, but the feeling was replaced quickly with a sinking feeling in her chest. “Does it get easier?” she asked in a small voice.

Yamcha made his way back over to the bed, sitting next to her so that their arms touched. “It does,” he said, placing an arm around her shoulders. “And friends help.”

“Thank you,” she said again, resting her head on him and sniffling as a few tears made their way onto his orange shirt.

After about ten minutes of poking at her food, Yamcha’s prediction came true and Launch found herself running to the bathroom. She came back out, feeling a little more like herself. “Hey, do you have any…?”

“Mouthwash? Catch,” he said, cracking a grin as he tossed the bottle toward her.

“Thanks.”

“Toast helped, didn’t it?”

Launch rolled her eyes, but she had to admit he was right. The rest of the morning was spent watching television on the bed as Launch drifted in and out of sleep, feeling better in more ways than one every time she opened her eyes.

Red leaves turned to brown which eventually fell off and left the trees bare until the light blanket of snow covered the branches. Each day Launch found that things became a little easier to handle. Catching sight of pictures from college faded from a sharp pain in her chest to a twinge until eventually there was nothing except a feeling of fondness for her group of friends. She had to credit a lot of it to Yamcha, who in the past several months had been making regular attempts to get her out of her small apartment. Had she been left to her own devices, she very well may still be curled up under her covers.

So when an invitation to a New Year’s Eve party from a “Mr. and Mrs. Tien Shinhan” arrived in her mail, she didn’t need to think twice about responding and marking the date in her calendar. If anything, she couldn’t help but smile at the idea of who all would be there.

And when Tien opened the door with his wife beaming at his side, Launch was able to smile warmly at them.

“We’re so glad you could make it!” she chirped, handing Launch a glass of champagne. “We were afraid you weren’t coming.”

“Snow isn’t the easiest to ride in,” Launch replied, propping her motorcycle helmet on her hip. “But I wouldn’t miss this. Can’t remember the last time we all were able to just hang out.”

“I don’t think it’s been since the wedding.” Tien glanced down to his wife as he said this.

Launch waved her hand. “That doesn’t count, that was too formal. We need a chance to just relax.”

“Well certainly this will be a chance to have fun, no formalities required,” she giggled, big eyes crinkling at the edges as she smiled, ushering Launch into their house.

“Everyone here?” she asked, shrugging off her coat and adding it and her helmet to the overstuffed coat rack.

“I believe so,” Tien answered, glancing to the small crowd of people dispersed among the kitchen and living room.

Launch craned her head, looking for someone in particular, though she’d never admit it out loud. “Well, I’m starving,” she said, making her way over to the table of food. “I’m glad you all saved some for me.” Flashing them a smile and a thumbs up as she surveyed the food, she turned to stand next to the person she had been looking for. “Hey,” she said, playfully bumping his shoulder with her own.

“You made it!” Yamcha wrapped her in a hug that warmed her from the inside out.

“Of course, I said I was coming,” she said, beaming up at him. “Snow was just hell to get through.”

“Well I’m glad you got here safe. And you _have_ to try these, they’re amazing!” Yamcha picked up one of the hors d’oeuvres and held it close to her.

Launch opened her mouth and allowed him to place the small food on her tongue. “It’s good,” she said as he pulled the toothpick away, having no idea how the food actually tasted, but being very aware of the heat spreading across her face.

He cracked a smile, loading up a plate with a wide variety of snacks, and led her into the main room where most of the guests were.

A large television was set up in the living room, already prepared to broadcast the countdown to midnight. The two of them sat in the two seats on the couch that had somehow remained unoccupied. As they made their way through the food, each suggesting things for the other to try, they filled each other in on their lives since they last spoke. Surprisingly, even though they had seen each other last week, there was still so much to say, even if it was about nothing at all, and as Yamcha went on about buying a new pair of shoes, Launch couldn’t help but find herself enthralled in the tale.

“It’s almost time!” someone said, turning the volume up as the screen panned to the giant ball as a countdown timer began.

Launch could feel Yamcha lean in close to her before he whispered, “What are your thoughts on midnight kisses to ring in the new year?”

“Horribly cliche,” she responded, thankful that everyone’s eyes were so focused on the iridescent crystal ball to notice how brightly her face must be burning.

But as the crowd around them began chanting the countdown, Launch reached over and laced her fingers between his, and as the clock struck midnight, she gave a gentle squeeze and he squeezed back. A smile found its way to her lips as the new year promised to be a bright one.


End file.
